Effects of Flooding on Connecticut River Plant Species

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dc.contributorFrary, Amy
dc.contributorFarnham, Timothy
dc.contributor.advisorHoopes, Martha
dc.contributor.advisorMarks, Christian
dc.contributor.authorAtia, Hanna
dc.date.accessioned2016-06-30T21:20:43Z
dc.date.available2016-06-30T21:20:43Z
dc.date.gradyear2016en_US
dc.date.issued2016-06-30
dc.description.abstractDue to dam construction and other human influences, patterns of river water flow, including the timing and duration of flooding, have become increasingly stable in wetlands. Flooding is a natural disturbance event that changes the physical structure and nutrient availability of habitats. The prevention of natural flooding can change species composition in floodplains and assist colonization by non-native species. The presumed mechanism for this pattern is that species differ in their tolerance to flood duration, yet there are few experimental studies that have examined flood tolerances experimentally. The purpose of this study was to quantify differences in flood tolerance among 25 woody plant species found along the Connecticut River, and to determine the degree to which flood tolerance predicts species distributions along flooding gradients. I additionally analyzed the roles of height, non-native status, growth form, and evolutionary history on flood tolerance. Seedlings were subjected to flood treatments of four different durations, with and without suspended clay sediment. The flood tolerance of each species was calculated by comparing individual species’ survival relative to the average survival across all replicates. The flood and sediment treatments had a significant effect on seedling survival, and the distribution of species on flooding gradients was predicted by the experimentally determined flood tolerance. There was significant variation in height between species, and seedlings submerged more deeply were less healthy than those closer to the surface. Native species had overall better health than non- native species with increasing flood stress. Analysis of growth forms showed that shrubs were significantly healthier than vines with increasing flood stress. There were no significant differences between trees and other growth forms. Higher flood tolerance did not map cleanly onto plant families. The most flood tolerant and least flood tolerant species were both in the genus Acer (maples).en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipBiological Sciencesen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10166/3909
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rights.restrictedpublicen_US
dc.subjectflood toleranceen_US
dc.subjectbiologyen_US
dc.subjectecologyen_US
dc.subjectfloodingen_US
dc.subjectsedimenten_US
dc.subjectConnecticuten_US
dc.subjectinvasive speciesen_US
dc.subjectflood controlen_US
dc.subjectspecies distributionen_US
dc.titleEffects of Flooding on Connecticut River Plant Speciesen_US
dc.typeThesis
mhc.degreeUndergraduateen_US
mhc.institutionMount Holyoke College

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